Halloween Pennant at Oleta River Park

The Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) is a dragonfly found in North America, in the Pennant genus of dragonflies.

This photograph is of a Halloween Pennant Dragonfly captured at Oleta River State Park in North Miami Beach, Florida. The camera gear used in this Halloween Pennant Dragonfly photo was a Nikon D80. Attached to this camera body was a Tamron 28-300mm lens.

The Halloween Pennant Dragonfly has been described as looking very similar to a butterfly. The wings of these insects are orange-yellow in color, though its markings are dark brown, not black as is commonly believed; the entirely orange-yellow wings with dark brown bands are what has given it its Halloween common name and its typical position of being perched at the tip of a weed stalk, waving in the breeze like a pennant contributes to the remainder of its common name. The young has yellow markings, including a stripe on its back, and adult males develop pale red markings, particularly on the face, though females will occasionally get these red markings too. Halloween Pennant dragonflies are normally between 38 and 42 mm (approx. 1.5 inches) in size. The Halloween Pennant Dragonfly feeds on other insects, and they are able to fly in rain and strong wind. On hot days, it will often shade its thorax using its wings.

These insects are commonly found in Central and east North America, particularly in Florida, where they are in season all year round. In the northern part of the range, they are in season from mid-June to mid-August. They can range as far north as south of Canada and as west as New Mexico, but east of the Rocky Mountains. They particularly live around ponds, marshes and lakes, often perched on weedy stems.

I am an avid hiker, explorer and photographer living in Florida for the past 20+ years. I enjoy photographing all wildlife and that of the natural world.
Currently, I work a 9-5 as a profiler and graphics coordinator for a major online website, but at every opportunity, can be found somewhere traipsing about in the Everglades or in some wooded part of Florida and beyond, following game trails, and exploring new areas where man has least traveled.